The GEL fall had impact on the price of food products. The price of bread and cereals has significantly risen. As we were told in one of the groceries, the price on cereals has increased from 20 to 50 tetri. The cost of flour also raised and it caused discontent of rural population.

On February 26, representatives of the Trade Union of Metallurgy, Mining and Chemical Industry Workers met representatives of the nongovernmental organizations and diplomatic corps. The main topic of the discussion was recent developments in the Company RMG. More precisely, they spoke about the facts of oppression, persecution and coercion against Trade Union members by the Company.

Chairwoman of the Georgian Women’s Party for Justice and Equality Khatuna Matchavariani, who participated in the local self-governmental elections of June 15, 2014 for the position of the Kutaisi city mayor, is blamed in the financial machinations by her party members; they request to impose criminal liability on her. The party members claim Matchavariani falsified signatures on the salary documents and misappropriated their funds.

On February 23, an incident occurred between the city council member Ioseb Palelashvili and Beka Batitadze, son of the Ditsi village former attorney Zakaria Batitadze in the office of the Shida Kartli regional administration. It’s unknown what Ioseb Palelashvili and Beka Batitadze were doing at night in the administration building.

The removal of the agricultural market from the city center to the suburb of Gori caused protest of traders. After several warning rallies one part of traders occupied the square in the market territory and started commercial activities there. The traders opposed the new owner of the market - Jewish investor.

Ltd Vazisubani Mamuli purchased the former palace of the Romanovs in Vazisubani village, Gurjaani district. The state sold the pastures around the former palace together with the building. Local population protests this fact and claims the pastures belonged to people and the state sold them without any warning and auction.

On February 7, Human Rights Center organized one-day training about hate speech in its Gurjaani office. The training was organized in the frame of Human Rights Centre’s project Promoting Freedom of Religion in Georgia. The project is implemented with financial support of the Canadian Embassy in Turkey.

“Smear campaign has started against me. People wish to discredit Kutaisi mayor and the City Hall before society; they do their best to achieve this goal. The campaign is plotted for our discrimination,” Kutaisi Mayor Shota Murgulia said at the special briefing on February 11.

Russian and Ossetian military units renewed demarcation works of the so-called border in the occupied territory. After the barbed wire fence was set in Jariasheni village in Gori district, part of local agricultural plots is now in the occupied territory. As residents of Jariasheni say, the occupation line has moved forwarded 35 meters into the village territory and is stretched along 1 kilometer.

During Imedi’s Week talk show on Imedi TV on February 1, 2015, Mr. Goga Khaindrava accused ISFED and its executive director Nino Lomjaria of being involved in political corruption scheme over the past few years. He alleged that Georgian non-governmental organizations were part of the “big corruption scheme” of misspending financial resources allocated for Georgia by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).

Member of Gori municipal board from Free Democrats Khatuna Khatashvili speaks about intimidation from the district governor David Oniashvili. According to Khatuna Khatashvili, Oniashvili verbally insulted her and threatened with the prosecutor’s office.

Knolevi village is the last village within the jurisdiction of Georgian state in Kareli district. After 2008 Russian-Georgian armed conflict the village territory was divided by wire-fence. The plots of locals are now in the occupied territory. The number of people living in the village is reducing every day; the migration intensified since 2008 armed conflict. Several houses were burnt and destroyed in 2008; the war trace is still very vivid in the village.